crockford



No. 6I5,8l0 I Patented Dec. l3, I898.

A. H. GRDGKFORD.

,FLUID. PRESSURE ENGINE (Application filed Dec. 31, 1897.\

3 sheets sheet I.

(No Model.)

A. H. CRUCKFORD.

FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE.

(Application filed Dec. 31, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 6l5,8l0. Patented Dec. l3, I898.

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No. 6l5,8l0. Patented Dec. I3, 1898.

A. H. CROCKFORD.

FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE.

- (Application filed Dec. 31, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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NITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

ALFRED HENRY oRooKiroRD, or DARTFORD, ENGLAND;

FLUID-PRESSURE ENGl'NE.

sPncIFIoATIoN forming part er Letters Patent No. 615,816, dated December13, 1898. Application filed December 31, 1897. Serial No. 664,917. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED HENRY ORooK- FORD, engineer, a citizen of theUnited States of America, residing at Dartford, England, have inventedan Improved Fluid-Pressure Engine, (for which I have obtained LettersPatent of Great Britain, No. 19,120, dated August 29, 1896,) of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan, some of the partsbeing removed, and Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal central section,showing one form of my improved double-acting balanced reciprocatingengine. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionon the line m m, Fig. 2, some ofthe parts being removed. Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the said engine,drawn to a reduced scale, showing means for turning or adjusting thecylinder about the axis of the crank-shaft. Fig. 5 is a verticallongitudinal central section, and Fig. 6 a plan, partlyin horizontalsection, showing another form or modification of my improved doubleacting balanced engine, and Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal centralsection showing a compound engine constructed according to my presentimprovements.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved fluid-pressurebalanced reciprocating engine or motor which will occupy a comparativelysmall space in proportion to its power, which can be run at a very highspeed, and which will be otherwise advantageous for use in horselessvehicles and for the driving of dynamo-electric machines, and also forthe propulsion of torpedo-boats, launches, and the like, and for variousother purposes; and my said invention consists in the severalcombinations and forms of construction hereinafter particularlydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, a a are the cylinders, which are joined endto end about the rotary crankshaft. b b are the reciprocating pistons,which work therein in opposite directions. 0 is the rotary crank-shaft.This shaft 0 is made with pairs of cranks j j, set at an angle of onehundred and eighty degrees, so as to insure the working of the twopistons in opposite directions at all times, and thus obtain a properlybalanced engine. The

said shaft is mounted in journal-bearings 10, located on opposite sidesof said cylinders and cranks, and the cylinders a are supported solelyby said shaft, the said journal-bearings being attached to the frame ofa motor-car or to any other suitable support for the said shaft. t

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 the cylinder-castingis divided transversely into two halves or parts to permit theintroduction of the rotary crank-shaft c,which extends transverselythrough the said casting, a bearing for the said shaftbeing formed onthe said halves or parts and the latter being firmly united by boltspassed through flanges a, (L The pistons 12 b are provided with rods 66, respectively, which extend through stuffing-boxes ff in opposite endsof the cylinder a. On these rods are fixed cross-heads g g, which arecoupled by connecting-rods h h, respectively, to cranks j j of whichthere are a pair at each side of the cylinder. I also construct theconnecting-rods 72 h as shown, so that I am enabled to make thecross-heads g g of the same length, and thus equalize the weight of theparts which move in opposite directions.

is a rotary valve for distributing the steam or other fluid underpressure. This valve is arranged in a casing on the outside of thecylinder-casing and is Worked by means of an eccentric Z on thecrankshaft c, the eccentricrod Z being coupled to a lever 70 on thevalvespindle is. The said valve distributes the fluid under pressurealternately to the space between the pistons through the port m and tothe spaces at the ends of the cylinder simultaneously through the portsm m The pistons b b are made with semicylindrical recesses b in theirinner ends, so that they will fit over the crank-shaft bearing d, andthus reduce to appropriate dimensions the clearance-space between thepistons when at the inner end of their stroke.

Heretofore it has been customary to rigidly secure the engine-cylinderto a bed-plate, entablature, or like support, so that its positioncannot be varied; but in my improved engine the cylinders a aresupported solely by the rotary crank-shafts c, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4or in Figs. 5 and 6, so that it is free to be t eiaeio turned oradjusted about the axis of the said shaft to permit of its being used atdifferent angles between the horizontal and vertical, or to permit ofshifting the cranks from or to their dead-center as desired, and Iprovide suitable means for turning or adjusting the said cylinder aboutthe crank-shaft and for securing it in any desired position. Forinstance, I firmly attach to the cylinder a a lever a, Fig. 4, combinedwith a relatively-fixed quadrant p and provided with a locking-bolt q,the said quadrant being firmly secured to any suitable support. Sincethe forces tendin g to rotate the crank-shaft are always equal andopposite, the cylinder can be easily held in any desired position bymeans of the lever 07. and bolt q. The steam-pipe and exhaustpipe aremade with flexible connections or in any other convenient manner topermit such turning or adjustment of the cylinder. Instead of the leverand quadrant above described I sometimes provide a screw working in apivoted nut or a worm geared with a worm-segment attached to thecylinder a for the purpose of turning the said cylinder about the axisof the crank-shaft. It will be seen that the distributing-valves, beingcar-. ried by the cylinders, are capable of turning therewith about theaxis of the rotary crankshaft.

In the modification of myinvention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the cranksjjand connecting-rods h h are arranged within the cylinder-a, the saidconnecting-rods being coupled to bolts 12 b fixed in the pistons b b,respectively, and the crankshaft 0, extending through stuffing-boxes r1" on opposite sides of the cylinder at. The pistons b b are suitablyrecessed, as shown, so as to allow them to closely approach each otherwhen at the inner end of their stroke, and thus reduce theclearance-space to appropriate dimensions. The ports for thedistribution of the fluid under pressure are arranged substantially asabove described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3. In this arrangementI have shown a worm-segment .9, attached to the cylinder ct, and a wormt, geared with the said segment and fixed upon a spindle i,which is tobe mounted in a suitable support and provided with any convenient meansfor rotating it about its axis. Other suitable means may, however, beemployed for turning or adjusting the cylinder about the axis of thecrank-shaft.

In Fig. 7 I have shown an arrangement in which there are twohigh-pressure cylinders c, arranged opposite each other, and twolowpressure cylinders c arranged opposite each other and extending in adirection at right angles to the high-pressure cylinders. Thedistribution of the fluid under pressure to the high-pressure cylindersis effected by an oscillating valve 7a through the ports in on m Theexhaust u of the high-pressure cylinders is connected through a passage10 with the inlet of the casing of the valve whereby the exhaust-steamfrom the high-pressure cy1 inders is distributed to the low-pressurecylinders through the ports m m m The pistons b b of the low-pressurecylinders are connected, by means of the piston-rods e e, cross-heads g9 and connecting-rods 7L2 7r, with the same cranks j j as thehigh-pressure pistons 17 b, respectively. The low-pressure valve-casingis provided with means for admitting steam directly thereto for thepurpose of starting the engine. The cylinders a a are made with flangesc (L5 a (H, whereby they are firmly united, the crank-shaft 0 extendingthrough the central space between the said cylinders. The cylinders anddistributing-valves in this arrangement are likewise supported solely bythe rotary crankshaft and are capable of angular adjustment about thesame. The engine, being perfectly balanced, can be efficiently supportedby simply fitting the rotary crank-shaft in suitable journal-bearingswith the cylinders arranged horizontally or vertically or in anyinclined go position.

What I claim is 1. A double-acting fluid-pressure engine comprising arotary crank-shaft having cranks set at an angle of one hundred andeighty degrees to each other, journal-bearings supporting said shaft onopposite sides of said cranks, cylinders secured end to end about saidcrank-shaft between said journalbearings and capable of being rockedthrough a small angle about said crank-shaft, pistons in said cylindersand connecting-rods coupling said pistons to said cranks, an oscillatingdistributing-valve arranged in a casing on the outside of said cylindersand adapted to distribute the fluid to both ends of said cylinders, andan eccentric fixed on said shaft and having a rod coupled to an arm orlever on the spindle of saidvalve, substantially as, and for thepurposes, above specified.

2. A double-actin g balanced fluid-pressure engine comprisingjournal-bearings for the crank-shaft, a rotary crank-shaft mounted insaid bearings and having cranks set at an angle of one hundred andeighty degrees to each other, cylinders arranged radially to saidcrank-shaft between said journal-bearings and supported by saidcrank-shaft, said cylinders being capable of angular movement about saidcrank-shaft, means for distributing the fluid to both ends of eachcylinder,

reciprocating pistons in said cylinders and connecting-rods couplingsaid pistons to said cranks, and means for turning said cylinders aboutsaid crank-shaft, substantially as,and for the purposes, abovespecified.

3. The combination, with a rotary crankshaft and journal-bearingssupporting the same, of a pair of cylinders located in line with eachother on opposite sides of said rotary crank-shaft between saidjournal-bearings, said cylinders being supported by and capable of beingrocked about said crankshaft, reciprocating pistons in said cylinders,

connecting rods coupling said pistons to said cranks respectively, anoscillating distributing-valve arranged in a casing on the outside ofsaid cylinders and adapted to distribute the fluid to both ends of bothof said cylinders, an eccentric on said shaft and a rod connecting saideccentric to an arm on the spindle of said valve, substantially as, andfor the purposes, above specified.

4. A double-acting balanced fluid-pressure engine comprisingradially-arranged cylinders provided with a journal-bearing betweentheir adjacent ends, a rotary crank-shaft having cranks set at an angleof one hundred and eighty degrees to each other, extending transverselythrough said journal bearing and mounted in journal-bearings on bothsidesof said cylinders and serving as the sole engine comprisinga-rotary crank-shaft having cranks set at an angle of one hundred andeighty degrees to each other, journalbearings for said shaft on oppositesides of said cranks, cylinders arranged radially to said crank-shaftbetween said journal-bearlugs and supported solely by said shaft, re- Yciprocating pistons in said cylinders and connecting-rods coupling saidcranks respectively with the pistons of two of said cylinders located ata right angle to each other, distributing-valves each adapted todistribute the fluid to both ends of two cylinders 10- cated on oppositesides of said crank-shaft, and means for operating said valves from saidcrank-shaft, substantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.

6. A double-acting balanced fluid-pressure engine comprising journal-bearings, a rotary crank-shaft mounted in said bearings andhaving cranks set at an angle of one hundred and eighty degrees to eachother, cylinders arranged radially to said crank-shaft between saidjournal-bearings and supported solely by said crank-shaft, saidcylinders being capable of angular movement about said crank-shaft,means for distributing the fluid to both ends of each cylinder,reciprocating pistons in said cylinders and connecting-rods couplingsaid pistons to said cranks, substantially as, and for the purposes,above specifled.

7. A double-acting fluid-pressure engine comprising a rotary crank shafthaving cranks set at an angle of one hundred and eighty degrees to eachother,journal-bearings supporting said shaft on opposite sides of saidcranks, cylinders secured end to end about said crank-shaft between saidjournal-bearings and capable of being rocked through a small angle aboutsaid crank-shaft, pistons in said cylinders and connecting-rods couplingsaid pistons to said cranks, substantially as, and for the purposes,above specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ALFRED HENRY OROOKFORD.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. KNOWLES, ALEXANDER W.ALLEN.

